2025 -- S 0511
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LC001173
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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A N A C T
RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT
Introduced By: Senators Mack, Murray, Kallman, Gu, Bell, Britto, and Euer
Date Introduced: February 26, 2025
Referred To: Senate Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 34-18-60 of the General Laws in Chapter 34-18 entitled "Residential 1
Landlord and Tenant Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
34-18-60. Sealing and unsealing of court files. 3
(a) Actions arising under §§ 34-18-35, 34-18-36, and 34-18-38 may be sealed by the court 4
upon motion by any party or parties filed at least thirty (30) days after the expiration of the appeal 5
period following the conclusion of the underlying civil action. 6
(b) In ruling on the motion to seal, the court shall grant the motion and seal the record of 7
the civil action upon a finding that the underlying civil action was dismissed as a result of a motion 8
to dismiss, the action was resolved by stipulation and the terms of the stipulation have been satisfied 9
by the parties, any monetary judgment against the moving party has been satisfied in full, or the 10
action has been dismissed for lack of prosecution after a five-year (5) period. The court shall also 11
make a finding that the moving party notified all parties to the underlying civil action of their 12
motion to seal the record and that motion is the only request made under this section by the moving 13
party within the previous five (5) years. 14
(c) Any party to an action arising under §§ 34-18-35, 34-18-36, and 34-18-38 may file a 15
motion to seal the record of the action upon satisfaction of the requirements set forth in subsections 16
(a) and (b) of this section. Parties requesting seal of their record under this section are limited to 17
one request every five (5) years. 18
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT
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This act would remove the five (5) year waiting period for filing a motion to seal an eviction 1
court file. It would also delete the numerical limitation on filing seal requests with the court. 2
This act would take effect upon passage. 3
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LC001173
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